realitycheck2013

That was my plan. I can't even get my foot in the door. I wanted to be a CNA so I could gain some experience before I went to RN school. Low pay isn't an issue if it's going to count towards something. I completely agree with you.

I don't have the gas money to volunteer at places. I've applied at places that pay minimum wage, and I got denied due to my lack of experience. I'm going another route, and I will build up some spare cash so I can get into an RN program late next year. I can't apply until January. I'll take my prerequisites while I am working, so by the time they get down to my name on the waiting list, I'll be ready to start. I'm glad the jobs I am going to do are temp jobs in IT maintenance, so when I quit, it would look bad on job application when I do become an RN. I also found out that nursing facilities and hospitals will hire a nursing student to do CNA work rather than someone who isn't in nursing school. Thanks for the advice, but I don't have money to put gas in my vehicle to volunteer. That money goes towards bills, rent, food, and etc. It's also not guaranteed that a facility would hire me if I volunteered. It also wouldn't count towards renewing my CNA. I already stated several times that it is my area, and it's not economically viable for me to relocate to an area that hiring new CNAs for minimum wage, when I can get a job that isn't in that field that pays at least $18 dollars an hour. I would be more than happy to take a pay cut if it that pay cut was going to count towards something.

In California, I need one years experience as a CNA in order to do home care.

The community colleges in California don't count CNA as anything. I would have to start from scratch. My rant is about how screwed up California is.

There aren't any patient observer jobs close to my area.Thanks for the help. I gave up on becoming a CNA , and I am considering the $1000 I spent as a total loss.

I followed up with a care giver agency that I applied for a few days ago, and the hiring manager told me he could not hire me due to my lack of experience. The CNA and BLS cards are going in the trash. The job only paid 8.25 an hour. How in the heck can someone be denied a job for minimum wage that doesn't even require CNA ??? If I knew of a LVN school that would count my CNA towards an LVN program, I wouldn't have consiered it a waste. The CNA cert isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

At least with an ADN or BSN it would be worth relocating. I got a job offer for an unrelated field, so I am going to stick with that.

How long ago was this, and what part of California do you live in?

@ sixela21 Go to an LVN/LPN or RN program. If you can, go directly to a RN program. I did the research too before I started the CNA program, and when I found out I passed the state exam, I applied for jobs that didn't require any experience. I got one interview out of a 100 positions I applied for, and then I got a call saying that I didn't have enough experience. I don't know if my problem is pride, being spoiled, or etc. However, I am not going to beg for a minimum wage job or a job that pays a dollar above it after I have worked years in an industry full-time, making a decent wage, and had benefits. I applied for a job that didn't require experience in the field, and all they cared about is if I had a clean driving record, no convictions, and some years of employment. I got an offer, and I am taking it from there. The only down side is that I have to go to training away from home for a few months. It matches my salary from my previous job and has the same benefits. The reason why I posted this thread is so people won't think a CNA card will land them a job (even one making a dollar or two minimum wage). If you're young, then it's a great start. However, if you're use to making decent money, get laid off from your job, and have bills to pay, then don't fall for the hype. I was ready to work one full-time job as a CNA and go to school to get my LVN license. However, that won't be the case. I recently saw one ad for a CNA position that offered $9.00 an hour, but wanted someone with year of experience. I laughed so hard, coffee came out of my nose. Okay, these employers expect someone to pay hundreds of dollars for schooling in order to get a CNA job that pays minimum wage, and want one year of experience in order to move up to $9.00 an hour.

Is your position called officially called a patient observer? I'm just asking so I can do a job search in the Los Angeles, and Orange county area.

Watch a season of Grey's Anatomy or do some google searches on youtube and you will be alright. You can also go the library and check out an anatomy book. You will need to know about medical terms, abbreviations, the metric system, 24 hour clock, measurements, and dietary terms. Memorize the principles of care too. Knowing anatomy is the least of your concerns unless you're going for an LVN or RN program. You don't need to know anything else until you start jobs and knowing what is needed to be said on the Interview.

I agree with what most of these posters said. Take into consideration the legal aspects. You'll be on your own. I was offered a job like by a friend for her older friend, but I turned it down. BTW, I am unemployed, looking for a CNA job, and I wouldn't even touch it. Once you're a CNA, the whole game changes. It's better for you to stick with that 8 dollars an hour than to risk losing your certification and any chances of becoming an LVN or an RN. If you want some more money, then invest into an LVN program.

It comes with the job. Don't let it get to you. I'm pretty sure that LAPD officers get called worse names for doing their job. Even presidents get called dirty names because people don't feel they are doing their jobs. Don't react back in a negative way, so you can keep your job. You should only be concerned about what your supervisors say about you in writing.

Where at in California?

It depends on where you live. Experience varies. My experience might be different from yours. My thread and post are for people who live in major metropolitan areas in California.

If you can get free training to be a CNA and you don't qualify to do anything else, then still do your research. If you have to pay for your own training, then don't even consider it. Don't pay for training that will land you a job that at most pays a dollar above minimum wage in your first two years. You're better off going back to school to get your RN or LVN/LPN and relocating out of California or to a area in California that is in desperate need of nurses. If you pass the CNA course and your state exam, and if you can't get a job as a CNA, don't be disappointed. The best thing to do is get a job doing something, and get into a LVN/RN program.

There are going to be 200 people applying for that one position. I hope they at least have five openings. Don't mean to sound negative, but I think that the OP would be better off sticking with her server job and going to a nursing program (LVN or RN). Even with if she becomes an LVN, she can use her credits towards RN school when she is ready. You can't even use credits you get in a CNA program towards an LVN program in California. I don't know how it works in other states.

Did you ever try cross country OTR, or did you just do local. I did some research, and even trucking companies that pay for you to get your CDL pay up $37,000 in your first year. Once again, that's interstate trucking with a CDL. I didn't know you could be uneducated obtain a CDL. The test requires reading skills.

If you have two years experience being a care taker, and you're being offered only minimum wage, then that isn't fair. I hope you didn't pay for your CNA training, because if you did, then that would suck. I'm extremely out of luck, because I don't have any experience and I am passed my state exam for CNA back in November. If you really want to get into the medical field, then take any job and go to an LVN or RN program part-time. California isn't the best market for CNAs, and the Los Angeles area is extremely bad.

That's the point I am trying to make. California isn't the best place for an entry level job in the medical field. I didn't want to mention the thing about immigrants, because I would probably get labeled as being racist although I am just being a realist. Younger people is also a draw back. BTW, I am not talking about immigrants being hired over citizens, but LTCs and clinics want people who are bilingual who work there so they can communicate with the patients, residents, visitors, people who call, or etc. My point is that the people running the schools don't tell you any of this. They're job is to provide you the material and get you ready to pass a state or national exam. They're job isn't to tell you if it is possible for you to get a job after you finish the program and pass the required exams. If someone is in California, please go online and check out the job ads for CNA full-time or even part-time before investing the time and money. If the job ad doesn't say anything about having experience, call the facility and ask if they would hire someone right out of school with zero experience besides clinical hours.

It also doesn't matter how good you do in the CNA theory part of the program or the clinical. Less than two weeks of clinical hours isn't going to compare to an applicant who has six months or more as a CNA. The longer you have been out of a CNA program, the harder it is for you get a job in the field. If you don't get a job after a month or two from graduating and taking your written and skills exam, then most likely the employer will assume that you have forgotten what you have learned in training. These are things instructors or anyone running a CNA or MA program don't tell you. The certificate is good to have on a resume to prove that you have been doing something besides playing video games and drinking beer while being unemployed, but it isn't going to get you a job in the medical field unless you have prior experience. Lucky for me, I am being considered for a job in an unrelated field, because the person who interviewed me considered the state issued CNA certificate and the time I was in school as proof that I wasn't sitting on my behind wasting my life away while being unemployed. I plan on using the funds I get from this job towards going back to school in order to get my LVN license.

It depends in what area of the country you live in. Don't bother with the CNA program if you live in a populated area like Los Angeles, San Francisco, or etc. California is one of the worst states for CNAs with zero experience. Even LTCs or assistant living facilities in California want CNAs with at least six months experience. Even if the ad doesn't say anything about experience there are going to be applicants who have some kind of experience, and you won't be considered for the position. Becoming a CNA is great if you're young, want a gig while going to college, or retired, but if you're looking for work after being laid off from an unrelated field, then don't do it. It's best to go back to school become an LVN or an RN if you're interested in the medical field. It also doesn't make since that CNA is suppose to be entry level, but it requires experience. I've heard the same thing about MA (unless you're bilingual). The MA programs should include a bilingual course in their training before graduating a student.

It's also good to do a lot of research before investing the time and money into a medical program. Thanks for heads up. I will take into consideration what you said while I am doing my research. I don't want to take out a loan up to $8000 for an LVN program and be in the same situation I am in right now with having a CNA certificate that is almost worthless in this economy. The Labor statistics are also misleading. It says that medical field is one of the fastest growing fields in this country (even in California), but it doesn't state that someone can get a job in the field without prior experience. I'm just warning people who are considering becoming a CNA, because they think they can get a job in the field without prior experience. I have another friend who became a medical assistant two years ago, and she hasn't been able to find a job. I think the only people who are making money or the people teaching these programs, and people who have prior experience in the medical field. At least with an LVN or RN license, it would be worth relocating to get an entry level. Since the starting hourly rate for a CNA is minimum wage or a dollar or two above that, it isn't worth relocating. I blame myself for spending money on CNA program without doing all of the research. I'm kicking myself in the head right now.

I know it isn't like that everywhere. I'm talking about California. EDD and Work Source centers have flooded the market with CNAs, so employers are extremely picky. I haven't found one LTC that will take someone with zero paid experience, unless it's part-time for minimum wage. That kind of pay wouldn't even put gas in my car and pay for bills. Like I said, CNA is great if you're in your early to mid 20s with no bills, but if you're my age, got laid off a job where you're making $38,000 a year plus benefits, then it's a waste of time and money. In other areas in the country, it probably isn't like that. I'm happy for your experience. I'm just warning people like myself not waste their time. I don't want anyone going through what I went through. There is an LVN program starting close to my area next month, and I will have to take out a loan for it. That $1000 I wasted on CNA training and passing the state test won't even count towards LVN school.

Unless you have experience working in home health care or working in LTC, you won't get hired unless you know someone who is doing the hiring.I paid for a CNA program, passed the state exam, and I haven't been able to find a job as a CNA. Relocating is out of the question, because it isn't worth the money to relocate on my own for a job that pays less than $20,000 a year in the first year when I can get an entry level job in another field that pays near $40,000 and doesn't require me to relocate at my own expense.CNAs are a dime in a dozen, and even LTCs are picking who they want to hire in this economy. If you don't have experience, don't waste the time or money. The money and time you will waste towards being a CNA should go towards LVN or RN school. I spent a grand out of my own pocket to become a CNA, and couldn't find a job. I'm lucky that I did not take out a loan for it. If someone wants to be a CNA, then go through a Work Source program or a welfare to work program. I would have done the same, but I made too much money this year before I was laid off. I don't mean to sound negative, but I don't want people thinking that they can get a CNA job with zero experience. I have been out of work for months, and now I am out of $1000. If you're 21 or younger, have no expenses, and live at home, then you can spend months looking for a job as a CNA , or even relocate and live in a room at someone's house. However, if you're in you're 30s, have bills, and can't depend on your parents to pay your bills, then do not consider being a CNA , unless you have experience.I cannot stress this enough. If you want to get into the nursing field, and you're out of work, get a job in something you have experience in, and get into a LVN or RN program that will let you attend part-time.In California, the CNA, job market is tight. It's extremely rough if you live in a major city.